Bailout blues getting you down? Skip the trip to that new fancy restaurant. Save your dough and throw a fabulous party at home instead!

Parties That Cook’s 10 Great Money Saving Tips for the Savvy Party Hostess:

1. Involve your guests in the cooking! The more involved your guests are at the party, the more fun and memories they’ll create. As we all know, the party always ends up in kitchen, so forget the caterer and throw a party in the kitchen, where your guests cook up the night’s menu determined by you.

2. Celebrate with a festive cocktail and appetizer party instead of a sit-down dinner. Sticking to light fare is not only cheaper, but creates a lighter, casual party atmosphere versus a stuffy sit-down. Set up appetizers on a buffet instead of paying for servers to pass the appetizers.

3. Buy your ingredients at your local Farmer’s Market, where costs are often less and the ingredients are very fresh, in-season and plentiful.

4. Buy staples in the bulk section. When buying staple items like spices, nuts, dried fruit, dried mushrooms, and grains, head for the bulk section of your local market. You can buy exactly how much you need and you also often find fresher ingredients because they have a shorter shelf life.

5. Hire your kids to do the serving and clean up. Kids love to be involved and (depending on age) can be entrusted with non-cooking responsibilities like folding napkins, setting place cards or arranging flowers. If you don’t have kids, hire a student at a local culinary school to cater the party.

6. Serve a few high-end dishes starring seafoods or meats, but off-set costs with a few less costly dishes that go a long way. A low-cost dip appetizer like Sweet Pea Dip with Crispy Pita Chips is an example of a filling dish that is inexpensive to make.

7. Serve beer, wine, sodas and then just one festive holiday specialty drink versus hosting a full bar.

8. Consider a lunch or brunch. Caterers often offer discounts for daytime events, so a seasonal luncheon or a brunch could be much more affordable than an evening event.

9. Invite guests to bring their favorite cookies to serve as a dessert buffet, instead of purchasing desserts. Or, if you are having your party catered, bake a homemade dessert a day in advance and skip a full-blown dessert course. Here are a few dessert recipes to try.

10. Co-host the party with neighbors. Not only does this help limit your expenses, but it is a great way to get to know the folks next door. With the way the housing market is looking – you will probably be next door neighbors for many years to come!

Need more help? Count on Parties That Cook to set up a fabulous in-home cooking party bash! Book your party now through October 31st, 2008, and receive $200 off! We’ll bring the party to you, so you don’t have to lift a finger!